The spoken word: A BBC guide

Name: The spoken word: A BBC guide
Author: Robert W. Burchfield
ISBN: 9780563179795

Robert W. Burchfield

Language: English

Published by British Broadcasting Corporation, 1981

0563179791 / 9780563179795

Softcover
Used

See all details

Seller: Book Express (NZ), Shannon, New ZealandBook Express (NZ)

3-star seller

AbeBooks seller since February 10, 2021

View this seller's items

Softcover

Condition: Used - Very good

£ 3.59

£ 22.94 shipping

Ships from New Zealand to U.S.A.

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Free 30-day returns

Save for laterCreate a Want for similar items

Item description from seller

40 pages. Cover fadedThe British Broadcasting Corporation, which takes very seriously the task of teaching the English how to speak, has just published this guide to pronunciatio n, diction and grammar. Written by no less an authority than Robert Burchfield, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionaries, it is often surprisingly lenien t. Citing a sentence of Graham Greene?s as a precedent, Burchfield declines to f orbid absolutely the use of ??like?? as a conjunction. The BBC reports, for exam ple, that the error of confusing ??disinterested?? with ??uninterested?? ??attra cts more unfavorable comment from listeners than any other word, with the possib le exception of ?hopefully.? ?? But Burchfield does not pander to the public. Th e use of ??alternative?? to mean one of several possibilities, instead of simply one of two, is ??vigorously resisted by listeners but impossible to avoid in ma ny contexts,?? he says. On the other hand, he is vigorous and definite in his co ndemnation of such clichs as ??scenario,?? ??at this point in time?? and ??no wa y,?? Americanisms, he says, that have crept into English speech. But throughout it all, he takes a soothingly long historical view of the evolution of language, noting that it has survived other disruptions considerably more serious than wh atever may be happening to it now. As examples, he cites the loss of grammatical gender in Early Middle English and the great vowel shift at the beginning of th e 15th century, when nearly every vowel changed (??hoose?? became ??house,?? and ??gose?? became ??goose??). Reassuringly, he concludes, ??Any argument based on the assumption that the changes occurring in the English language in Great Brit ain at present are more serious or more objectionable than those that have occur.

Seller Inventory # 3803z

Contact seller about this item

Report this item

Title: The spoken word: A BBC guide
Author: Robert W. Burchfield
Publisher: British Broadcasting Corporation
Publication year: 1981
Condition: Very Good
Binding: Paperback
Language: English
ISBN 10: 0563179791
ISBN 13: 9780563179795
Seller catalogs: Self-Help

Book Express (NZ)

Shannon, New Zealand

3-star seller

AbeBooks seller since February 10, 2021

Shipping rates from New Zealand to U.S.A.

Item	14 to 45 business days	3 to 14 business days
First item	£ 22.94	£ 54.01

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

Store description

A small friendly online-only bookshop located in Shannon, New Zealand. We try to stock something for everyone, from modern affordable paperback novels through to older and more unusual works.

Specialty

fiction, non-fiction, a bit of everything

Seller's business information

Book Express Ltd

128 Heke Street
Wellington, New Zealand 6035

Contact sellerView this seller's itemsView seller's storefront

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Book Express (NZ), Shannon, New Zealand, +64 22 852 6879, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.